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Some people say that people get ahead by their own hard work; others say that lucky breaks or help from other people are more important. Which do you think is most important?
Hard work versus luck in getting ahead (no volunteered option) · Asked in 3 waves, 2021–2024 · 2,537 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Hard work most important | Hard work, luck equally important (phone mode only: volunteered | Luck most important | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 2024 | 2024-04-05 to 2024-12-02 | mixed | 3,309 | 656 |
| General Social Survey 2022 | 2022-05-08 to 2023-01-08 | mixed | 3,544 | 563 |
| General Social Survey 2021 | 2020-12-03 to 2021-05-02 | web | 4,032 | 1,318 |
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| 79% |
| – |
| 21% |
| 656 |
| ±5 |
| Protestant | 83% | – | 17% | 262 | ±8 |
| Catholic | 82% | – | 18% | 117 | ±12 |
| Jewish † | Too few respondents | – | – | – | 9 | ±38 |
| Other faith † | Too few respondents | – | – | – | 42 | ±27 |
| None | 72% | – | 28% | 223 | ±9 |
General Social Survey 2024 · US adults 18+ living in households (English, and Spanish since 2006). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.